Zaturanski, Mordechai (Motla)

Son of Chaya and David, was born in 1919 in the city of Nisbej, near Baranowicze, Poland. With the division of Poland between Germany and Russia, he was in the Russian zone and on time he joined the Russian army. He was a gunner, fought in the Finnish front and was also wounded there. Upon the end of World War he was liberated and aspired to immigrate to Palestine. He was a member of the Dror movement and in May 1947 he was sent on behalf of his movement to the Bricha organization in Bad-Rickenhal on the Austrian-German border. After completing his position, he immigrated to Israel at the beginning of 1948. He lived in Tel Aviv, lived for a short time in civilian life and enlisted in full service in the Golani Brigade. He had a great organizational capacity and in the war he excelled in his courage. After the withdrawal from Jenin, the line reached the first truce in the ridge north of Jenin. With the resumption of fighting at the end of the first truce, the Iraqis aggressively attacked this line. In view of the enemy’s superiority, our forces had to retreat and set up a new line on the Gilboa ridge. In these battles he fell in the area of ​​Peku’a on the 9th of Tammuz 5708 (9.7.1948) and was brought to rest at the military cemetery in Afula.